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Questions asked ...

• What is option 24/7?
• How does the Option 24/7 FAQ stack up alongside Wiltshire Council's FAQ?
• Will the bus I use remain unchanged?
• Will any services be lost under option 24/7?
• Why should I worry - "I'm all right - my service is safe because ..."
• Why are you calling it Option 24/7?
• Can you put the amounts of money the council is looking to save into context?
• How does bus franchising make a difference?
• How do bus journeys compare to train journeys?
• What about bus passes?
• What about fares and ticket prices?
• What do the bus operators think?
• Which bus services are subsidised and which ones are commercial?
• Are you working with Wiltshire Council
• Where would the money to pay for the services come from?
• Will the services run with knackered old buses?
• The consultation talks about saving by avoiding the need to travel in the first place. Good idea?
• What about service specification and marketing?
• Why not treat each route in isolation like happens on current subsidy contracts?
• Bus stop information
• Why do we need buses at all?
• How about community transport
• What about school buses
• Car parking ...
• What about bus and train ticket interchangeability
• What do you mean by "fanning" services?
• Extra buses for special events
• What knowledge and track record do team behind Option 24/7 have?
• How can I get in touch with you?

In FAQ Extra - [here]These are answers added since site launch in answer to specific requests, but have general interest. They are largely cut and pasted from forum and email responses and may be very specific!

• Is this just a consultation response web site?
• How much have you looked at the details?
• Will you use smaller buses for smaller loads under option 24/7?
• Are commercial services safe under options 1 to 6?
• What about cutting the salaries of county "Fat Cats" to save money?
• Can the Council introduce a small charge per journey for concessionary bus pass holders?
• If the buses were not subsidised and buses run by independent company's how much would the price of a bus ticket be?
• Re: cost of fares without subsidy: Route 2 between Devizes and Salisbury is fully funded by Wiltshire Council. If I understand the table published by the Council, each passenger journey cost the Council £1.70 (except, to paraphrase Mrs. Thatcher, it is not the Council's money it is Wiltshire council tax payers' money). So if fares went up by £1.70 I assume the service would break even. Not sure how 'cost' of free bus pass journeys are factored in but as there is no income on the route from concessionary customers I would assume, if we were to pay the fare increase would be reduced.
• But doesn't everyone have a car?
• If the subsidised service is withdrawn, how much extra would the operator need to charge the council for the mandated school service?
• please give An example of what option 24/7 would encourage
• "I used to be able to walk to my local shop. But is closed and now I have to use the subsidised bus to get to the nearest town. What will I do when the bus no longer runs?"
• Are you campaigning against the council?
• Where do quality schemes work already and how would they fit in to Wiltshire?

Learn About Options

The Wiltshire Council subsidised bus consultation ran until 4th April 2016 and archive copies can be found on our links page. Read the government's proposal as it currently stands: First draft. Take a look at Michelle Donelan's thoughts on Option 24/7: Chippenham MP's response.

Our Recommended Action

If you support the suggestions from Michelle Donelan MP, from central government, and from ourselves, we suggested consultation responses that include your indication of that support in answer to question 25. Enough people did so (thank you) for our suggestion to come to the notice of the consultation team.

Let Us Know Your Interest

We want to hear from you too. Please fill in our form to let us know your thoughts, suggestions, and if you responded to the council's bus subsidy consultation. Response Form

Spread the Word

Please ask your friends, family, colleagues and fellow travellers to take an interest too! If you're in any doubt about something, please use the contact form to get in touch; we'll be happy to answer you by email, or on Facebook or Twitter. And if your question has common interest, we'll add it to our Frequently Asked Questions.

Subsidy List, FAQ and Bus Route Maps

This page is brought to you by the same community team who have worked hard for an improved TransWilts train service - with some success. Passenger journeys up from 18,000 per annum in 2012 to 183,400 (that's ten fold) in 2014 with 2015 estimated not too far short of a quarter of a million.